Four Swords, Four Personalities
by Shadow Hylian
Summary: While travelling Hyrule, The Hero of Time stumbles across another mythical blade. Forced to draw it from the pedestal, the sword split him into four. Can the hero seek a way to return to normal while trying to control his other personalities?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own The Legend of Zelda.

Summary: While travelling through middle Hyrule, The Hero of Time stumbles across another mythical blade. Forced to draw it from the pedestal, the sword split him into four. Can the Hero seek a way to return to normal while trying to control his other personalities?

Shadow Hylian: This fic is based seven years after Zelda returns Link to his childhood at the end of OoT. Based on Four Swords and a little of MC (Vaati's form). Inspired by the Four Swords + manga, but does not follow the plot. Basically the story invloves OoT Link in ALTTP/Four Swords Hyrule (middle Hyrule) who stumbles across the Four Sword Shrine. I am using several locations from both OoT and ALTTP. Confusing? You bet.

"Speech"

**"Vaati's speech"**

'Thoughts'

(Flashback)

_Written text_

* * *

Four Swords, Four Personalities

Link wandered through the grassy plain of middle Hyrule, closely followed by three others who looked identical to him who were wearing red, blue and purple tunics respectively. As he listened to the three squabble amongst themselves, Link sighed. Why did he have to touch that damn sword? He just had to fall into it, didn't he? He could have just left it alone, but he just had to touch it. He should have known by now not to touch any shiny swords in holy places...

* * *

(Flashback) 

In the deep forest of Hyrule, surrounded by tall trees and thick undergrowth was the clearing where the shrine was situated. Four pillars where positioned on either side of the clearing, the pedestal positioned further back, four carved stone symbols atop each pillar. The symbols represented the Earth, Wind, Fire and Water elements, he saw as he read the text proclaiming each element carved into the top of each pillar. Link walked over to the moss-covered stone wall where a large eye design was inscribed. He frowned slightly as he noted that the eye design itself had not suffered any damage, nor was it covered in vines. Dismissing the thought, he turned his back on the wall, towards the pedestal in the centre and read the line of text that was inscribed into the base:

_Here rests soul of Vaati, the Wind Mage, bound here by his bane, the Four Sword._

The Four Sword glinted in the sunlight. The sword had a robust golden hilt, each side of it curving towards the blade tip. At the end of the handle, a large emerald was set into the circular recess which gave it a sense of elegance. As he looked at the finely crafted blade, it reminded him of the the sword he used to carry, the Master Sword and a voice at the back of his mind told him to take this sword.

Link felt himself become drawn to the blade, like a magpie to silver. He outstretched his left hand to grasp the hilt, but he paused his hand hovering inches from its surface. Should he really pull out the sword, knowing what happened last time he touched a sacred blade?

'No, last time was different' he thought, 'this isn't the Master Sword, but...do I really want to test my luck and risk that happening again?'

He hesitated for a moment, 'Maybe...' He shook his head and turned away from the pedestal, but before he could take a single step a dark, raspy voice filled the air.

**"Who dares disturb me?" **the whispery voice spoke challengingly, **"Who dares wake me from my slumber?"**

Link spun round quickly towards the source of the voice. Panic and terror swept through him as Link turned to find the stone eye, now scarlet, carved on the wall, blink and narrow its gaze.

**"I am Vaati, the Wind Mage. What buisness do you have in this place?" **the disembodied voice demanded while the single eye watched him carefully.

Sheer terror overtook Link and he slowly backed away from the source of the voice, turning around and running away as fast as he could. Link collided with the Four Sword Pedesal and lost his balance, falling into the shrine. Instinctively, Link put out his arms to protect him from the fall, but his right hand knocked into the hilt of the blade, dislodging it as he fell to the gound.

**"You fool!"** the voice spoke, chuckling slightly. **"The seal is broken, and I shall rage again!" **the voice cackled insanely as dark magic erupted from the pedestal, releasing the Wind Mage's dormant power. As Link looked towards the crackling dark energy, he saw a purple cloaked sorcerer levitating in the air above the pedestal, the dark energy circling him.

The sorcerer wore red boots, deep crimson trousers, a light purple tunic with a gold and red belt. Over the tunic he wore a thick purple cloak in a deeper shade, fastened with a gold pin, a matching hat rested atop his head. The cap had a gold rim that dipped slightly at the front of the cap, highlighting the red stone in its centre.

The sorcerer's face was half-hidden by his long, light violet hair that covered his right eye and two pointed Hylian ears stuck out from behind his bangs. His skin was an even paler, almost sickly looking shade of lilac and underneath his blood-red left eye a small three-pronged scar was found.

The Wind Mage smirked at him, **"Your interference has proved valuable, but you have only released half of my power."** he spoke as he brought his hands together and began to charge power between them, creating a glowing energy ball that crackled ominously. The Wind Mage raised his arm, holding the energy ball above his head threateningly. **"Remove the Four Sword!"**he growled at Link, who quickly backed away from the sorcerer.

Link got to his feet shakily, slowly edging away from the Wind Mage. Vaati let loose the energy ball, firing it slightly to the right of Link warningly, striking the ground with a crackling bang, scorching the forest floor. The Hero dodged to the side onto the hard ground, the blast missing him by inches and scramlbed to his feet. He wasn't exactly armed for this fight: he only carried with him a simple dagger and slingshot since he returned the Master Sword to the Temple of Time. He only had one choice. Dodging another blast, Link ran towards the Four Sword Pedestal, ducking behind it as energy blast fired overhead. As he stood up and defiantly faced the Wind Mage, Vaati began charging energy and shot another orb, brimming with dark energy, directly towards him.

In the split second before the energy blast collided with him, Link pulled the Four Sword from its pedestal. As he drew the blade, pain shot through his body and a strange sensation, almost as if he was being pulled apart overtook him. He grimaced in pain as his head ached; it was like his brain was being split, as if it was being torn from his skull.

Almost as quickly as it begun, the sensation stopped, he opened his eyes and swung the Four Sword, batting the energy ball back towards its castor, who was not quick enough to counter it. The Wind Mage flinched as the dark magic collided with him, his screams filling the still forest as he disappeared into nothingness.

**"Do not think that you have defeated me. This is not the end, boy." **he spoke, his voice fading as he vanished.

"Hey!"

A familiar voice to his right made him jump. He turned to see...himself?

Uh oh.

(End Flashback)

* * *

He was dragged from his musings by the red Link, who chose that moment to pipe up. 

"Hey, did you know that he's got you rupee pouch?" the red Link asked, pointing to the purple Link. Link checked his belt where his rupee pouch was usually attached to and was currently missing.

"Hey, give that back!" he shouted at the cackling purple link and began to chase him.

"Hold on. I the great Hero of Time will stop him!" the blue Link proclaimed

"What are you talking about?" Link shouted angrily, "I'm the Hero of Time, you're just an impostor!"

"I am not!" the blue Link replied indignantly.

"Yes you are!"

"No I'm not, I'm the real Hero!"

"Shut up! Who are you guys anyway?" Link asked

"We're you." the three spoke together.

"Or at least we're three different versions of you." the purple Link added.

"Um...different versions? Is that like three separate personalities?" Link asked

"Yep, that's right." the red Link piped up

"Then let me guess, he's the 'Hero me', right?" Link asked, pointing to the posing blue Link.

"Yep, and I'm the...who am I again?" the red Link asked the purple link quickly

"You're the annoying brat version."

"Hey!" the red link shouted indignantly.

"He's the 'child me', isn't he?"

"Yes."

"Who are you then?

"I'm...the smart version." he replied with a smile. There was a strange glint in the purple link's eye that Link did not completely trust.

"Why did you steal my rupees then?" Link asked

"For safe-keeping." the purple Link replied smoothly, "I look after everyone's items and rupees."

Link watched the purple link suspiciously, before turning on his heel and continuing his journey across the field. "Hey, what are your names? I know your different versions of me, but what are you called?"

"We don't really have names; we've never been separated before, so we've never needed them." the red Link spoke up.

"Oh, I was just wondering." Link said, "Do you mind if I call you three by the colour your wearing?" he asked

"Um, _yes _actually. I'm not wandering around being called 'purple'!"

"Well, how about..."

"Hey, what're you doing?" the blue link asked

"Thinking about names for you three." Link replied, "He's got a problem with being called 'purple' and I don't think its practical to call you three Red, Blue and Purple." he said evenly.

"You can call me the-"

"We're not calling you the Great Hero of Time!" the purple link interrupted, "So forget it."

"Well, how about..."

"Link! Link! I wanna be called Link!" the red-head piped up.

"No. He's Link." the violet-haired link said, pointing to the hero.

"How about...Rinku (1)?" Link asked, "That means Link in ancient Hylian"

"Yay! I like it." the newly named Rinku proclaimed, "What're we gonna call the blue and purple you?" he asked, indicating the surly-looking purple clad link and the stern and silent blue clad link.

"..."

"I know, I know!" Rinku spoke up, "Why don't we call the blue you Az, like the colour azure?"

"I'm not being called Az! I'm Link!" the navy-haired link shouted stubbornly.

"It'll just get confusing if there is more than one Link, Az." the violet-haired link spoke up, "So quit you're complaining and get over it. You're Az and that's it."

"Oh, like you wouldn't complain about being called purple." the not-so-happy Az huffed, "If you've got a problem with purple, why don't we call you Violet?" Az snapped sarcastically.

"No, not Violet." Rinku piped up, "Vi would suit him better. Violet sounds too girly."

"I'm not being called Vi either, you little brat! And I am _not_ girly!" the purple link shouted and chased the laughing Rinku, brandishing a large Deku stick.

"Vi does suit you, you know. It's better than 'purple' anyway." Link commented.

"Shut up!" Vi roared at the the hero and his bluer conterpart as he managed to grab hold of Rinku, who was currently struggling to get away.

"Let me go, Vi." Rinku squealed, "Violence isn't the answer, you know."

"Yes it is." Vi said savagely

"Hey, if you hit him, technically you're hitting yourself and Az and I too so let him go, Vi." Link said sternly. Vi released Rinku and walked away angrily. Link, keeping an eye on the huffy Vi, continued his journey with Az and Rinku following behind him.

* * *

The sun was just sinking below the horizon, tinting the sky a vibrant orange when he arrived in Kakariko Village. His other selves were still bickering, mostly Az and Vi complaining about their new names and every time Link tried to get his other selves to be quiet, Rinku would pester him in that annoying-but-not-quite-realising-it way. "Are we there yet?", Link discovered, was Rinku's most used phrase during their travelling, and Link had to listen to this constantly for the majority of the journey. 

By the time Link had reached the inn, he was irritated by the constant arguing of his companions and was very grouchy. The trip to the Waterfall of Wishing (Where hopefully this could all be sorted) would take another two days and Link was unwilling to put up with listening to anymore quarrelling between his other selves. Vi wandered off somewhere saying something about wanting to look around before they had reached the inn, and Link, Rinku and Az went into the inn to see if they had vacancies.

-------

A while later, Vi returned the the inn, where he told the other Links that he had been looking around the village. Link, however, did not trust this story, but decided to dismiss it as he was too fed up to argue with Vi about it. The Inn keeper, much to Link's delight, had only managed to get them rooms on opposite sides of the inn which meant that he would not be pestered at every waking hour by his squabling others. Az seemed impatient to continue on their journey, but Link and Vi agreed that it was in their best interests to travel by day only. Rinku, on the other hand, was quite content with staying at the inn and was ordering the most expensive foods on the menu, much to Vi's displeasure as he was the one who would be (unwillingly) paying the bill.

At first light, the four Links left the inn and continued on their journey to the Waterfall of Wishing. By the time the sun had fully risen, Link, Rinku, Az and Vi had reached a heavily wooded forest and were trying to navigate their way through the thick vines and undergrowth.

For some reason, all the Links had the same thought:

"Why does this seem so familiar?"

* * *

Notes: (1) Rinku is Link's name in japanese. 

The four different Links will not be known as Green, Red, Blue and Vio. For reference, here is their names and what they will be called:

Red Link: Rinku.

Blue Link: Az.

Violet Link: Vi.

Shadow Hylian: This is the first time that I've attempted a Four Swords fic, so feedback would be very helpful.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own The Legend of Zelda.

Summary: While travelling Hyrule, The Hero of Time stumbles across another mythical blade. Forced to draw it from the pedestal, the sword split him into four. Can the hero seek a way to return to normal while trying to control his other personalities?

Shadow Hylian: In response to ketgirl1992 Harvest.EXE, who asked if there would be yaoi in this fic, I'd just like to say that I am not planning any pairings for this fic at the moment.

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

Blue Link: Az

Red Link: Rinku

Violet Link: Vi

* * *

Chapter 2

"Were lost, dammit!" Az shouted to no one in particular, venting his frustration at being stuck in the deep forest with absolutely no idea where to go or how to get out. They had been wandering the woods for a good few hours and were becoming more and more lost as the time went by.

"Well it is called the Lost Woods for a reason, you know." Vi spoke

"We're gonna turn into a Stalfos if we don't get out of here soon!" Rinku panicked, "It's scary in here."

"We've been here before, so just be quiet!" Link shouted at his other selves. He found it difficult to remember which way to go when his other selves were bickering amongst themselves. "If we follow the forest song it'll takes us deeper into the forest, right? Well, if we go in the opposite direction, we should be able to get out of here."

"Right." Az spoke, "Everyone listen." he said.

"I can hear it! It's coming from that way." Rinku piped up, pointing to the left.

"Ok. Then we'll go right." Link said and walked through the archway with Az, Rinku and Vi following him.

* * *

"Whose brilliant idea was it to go right?" Az fumed, "We're even more lost now!" 

"It wasn't my fault that I don't know the way out." Rinku spoke.

Having had just about enough of his companions arguing, Link decided to try and solve the problem. He rummaged through his supplies and pulled out the Ocarina of Time.

"Oh, that's a pretty ocarina, Link." Rinku piped up, "Can I play it? Can I?"

"No, I'm going to use it to warp out of here. it's the only thing that can get us out of here quickly. Where should we go next? the Temple of Time, Death Mountain, Lake Hylia or the Desert Collusus." he asked his others.

"I wanna go to Lake Hylia!" Rinku stated.

"We're looking for the Waterfall of Wishing, right?" Vi spoke, "So it makes sense to follow the river to its source. At the very least, it'll give us some kind of clue where to go."

" Lake Hylia it is then!" Az declared, before Link told him to shut up and instructed his other selves to hold onto him. Link raised the Ocarina of Time to his lips and began to play the Serenade of Water. Nothing happened as he finished playing the last notes.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Um...aren't we supposed to warp?" Vi spoke up questioningly, breaking the silence.

"I don't know what's wrong; it always worked before this." Link said, before he realised what must have happened. He had carried his ocarina, along with his dagger and slingshot when he removed the Four Sword from the pedestal. Which meant...

"Check your item pouch." he spoke to his other selves.

"What? What do you mean?" they replied in unison.

"Just do it." Link said and Rinku, Az and Vi emptied their item pouches. Out of each pouch fell a dagger, a shield, and an ocarina. His items had also been divided when he had pulled the Four Sword out of the pedestal.

"Hey, where'd these come from?" Rinku asked, picking up his ruby red ocarina and examining the Goron emblem on its mouthpiece. Az's ocarina was navy blue with a silver Zora design on the mouthpiece and Vi's was an earthy purplish colour and decorated with the same emblem that Link saw in the Four Sword shrine. Frowning, he looked at the ocarina he held in his hands...except that it wasn't the Ocarina of Time. His ocarina was now the same forest green as his tunic with a Wind Element design on the mouthpiece instead of the Triforce.

As Link looked at his other's items of equipment, he noticed there was something to identify who it belong to on each. Like the Four Swords they carried, each of their daggers had a stone set into the hilt of their swords; an emerald, a ruby, a sapphire and an amethyst. Each of their shields were decorated differently, using the colours of his other selves to identify the owner.

"Link?" Vi spoke up," I'm just guessing, but I think the colours represent the four elements. That's why you couldn't play the warp song on the ocarina. You are infused with the Wind Element, Link, so the Ocarina of Time is now the Ocarina of Winds." he said, before turning to the others. "Rinku, Az and I are infused with the elements of Fire, Water and Earth respectively, so that means that our ocarinas can control the elements that we are infused with." he stated. "Az, try playing the Serenade of Water." he instructed, while motioning for Link and Rinku to hold onto Az and doing so himself. Bringing his Ocarina of Water to his lips, Az played the notes and the four Links could feel the air condense around them as they were transported to Lake Hylia.

* * *

Lake Hylia was still and tranquil. The lake's surface was so calm that it looked like glass as the bright sunlight struck it, illuminating the cerulean blue water that filled the lake. The four Links arrived on the stone pedestal that was set into a small island in the centre of the lake and looked across at the scene. 

"Which way shall we go now?" Az asked the other three.

"Look, there's the waterfall that flows into the lake." Vi said, indicating the water flowing into the lake from the deep valley. "We'll follow the river's path to the source and that should lead to the Waterfall of Wishing." he spoke.

"We'd better get moving, then. It'll get dark soon." Link said seriously, checking the sun's position in the sky to get a rough indication of the time. "The sun will set in a couple of hours."

"By the time we reach the valley and start to climb towards the source of the river, it will be too dark to see what we are doing and we might lose our way." Vi explained, "We would have been able to continue our journey if we hadn't wasted so much time in the forest."

"I wanna go fishing." Rinku spoke.

"We've got better things to do than go fishing, Rinku." Az spoke a little irritated.

"We need to find a way of returning to normal. Which is the only important thing, according to Link." Vi said resentfully.

Link raised an eyebrow at that statement. His other personality was angry at him? Did that mean that he was resentful of himself?

Having four personalities was confusing.

"What's your problem?" he asked the sulking Vi.

"The Hero of Time would always be called to save the land from darkness; only for the people he saved to forget his deeds. The ungrateful people that he saved did not remember his quest after he travelled back through time and when he returned his childhood, he was shunned and forgotten." Vi said in a low growl, his voice barely suppressing his raw anger. The other Links stared at Vi, who was speaking as though he was not a quarter of the Hero of Time, but an onlooker observing this from a distance. "We were foolish! We always had to blindly help out those who didn't deserve it!"

"Hey!" Az shouted indignantly.

"What do you mean?" Link asked sharply.

"We walked the path of the Hero! We put our life on the line for ungrateful people and we were always alone because it was our duty!" Vi roared at the other three.

"That was our destiny." Link spoke calmly, "You know that we couldn't escape it, even though we tried."

"It is our duty to protect the land of Hyrule. It is not our place to question our fate." Az spoke.

"Yes it is!" he shouted angrily, "Why should we always help those who did not help us?"

"That is what we are destined to do." Link spoke, "We have no other purpose in life because we are bound to the Triforce."

"Bound to the Triforce we may be, but I am no longer bound to you three!" Vi roared, and marched away angrily.

"Hey, shouldn't we go after him?" Rinku asked Link and Az, "He'll get lost if he wanders away and it's getting dark now."

"No. He won't be gone for long."Az spoke.

* * *

Shadow Hylian: Feedback is very much appreciated, so review please. 


End file.
